1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for coupling multiple radiation beams within an area (such as at the input end of an optical waveguide device) and, in particular, to a system using a unitary beam deflector to provide coupling, particularly with discrete sources of laser radiation beams.
2. Related Art
There continues to be a need for ever-increasing levels of radiative power and brightness in applications such as printing, fabrication, telecommunications, photochemical processes, and medical treatment. A commonly-used approach is to optically couple the emission beams from multiple radiative sources into an optical waveguide device, such as an optical fiber or fiber laser, such that output radiation having a higher power level is emitted from the output end of the waveguide. Various systems for performing such coupling are described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,912 to Goodman, entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Coupling Radiation Beams into an Optical Waveguide,xe2x80x9d (xe2x80x9cthe ""912 patentxe2x80x9d), hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
When greater levels of emitted power are required, discrete sources of radiation, such as laser diode devices, may be used. Various systems using such discrete radiation sources are described in the ""912 patent. Furthermore, the ""912 patent discloses a variety of systems for coupling multiple radiation beams into an optical waveguide device using a unitary beam deflector.
In addition to the need for increasing levels of radiative power, there is also an increasing need for systems providing such radiative power to be small, easy to manufacture, and energy efficient. What is needed, therefore, is an improved system for providing high-power radiation to an optical waveguide device.
An optical apparatus is disclosed suitable for coupling a plurality of radiation beams within an area, such as the input end of an optical waveguide device (e.g., an optical fiber or fiber laser). The optical apparatus includes a plurality of deflecting facets, where each deflecting facet is oriented so as to deflect incident beams of radiation so that the deflected beams emanate from a virtual multi-beam radiation point source. An output relay optical system captures the deflected beams and couples them within the input end of the optical waveguide device. Input relay optical systems, which may be tiltable plane parallel plates, may be disposed between sources of the radiation beams and be used to redirect the radiation beams so that they emanate from the virtual multi-beam radiation point source. Methods for adjusting components of the optical apparatus to fine-tune the positions and directions of the radiation beams for more precise coupling are also disclosed.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.